Gate valve for semiconductor treatment system and vacuum container

ABSTRACT

A gate valve ( 20 ) for a semiconductor processing system includes a housing ( 21 ) forming a plurality of passages ( 22 A to  22 D) arrayed in a first direction. The passages respectively have ports ( 23 A to  23 D) facing a first predetermined side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The ports are respectively provided with valve seats ( 25 A to  25 D) at gradually set back positions in the second direction, as being closer to a second predetermined side in the first direction. Valve plates ( 24 A to  24 D) are arrayed in the second direction to open/close the ports. The valve plates are slid by an actuating mechanism ( 30 A to  30 D).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a gate valve for opening/closing atarget substrate transfer passage in a semiconductor processing system,and a vacuum container including such a gate valve for a semiconductorprocessing system. The term “semiconductor process” used herein includesvarious kinds of processes which are performed to manufacture asemiconductor device or a structure having wiring layers, electrodes,and the like to be connected to a semiconductor device, on a targetsubstrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate used foran LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or FPD (Flat Panel Display), by formingsemiconductor layers, insulating layers, and conductive layers inpredetermined patterns on the target substrate.

BACKGROUND ART

There is a semiconductor processing system of the cluster tool type,which has load-lock chambers and vacuum process chambers disposed arounda vacuum transfer chamber. Further, there is a vacuum processing systemthat has a load-lock chamber and a vacuum process chamber stacked one onthe other to reduce the installation space (for example, Jpn. Pat.Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-160578). Vacuum processing systems ofthis kind includes gate valves respectively disposed between chambers tomaintain the chambers and so forth airtight, because target substratesneed to be transferred within vacuum environments.

FIG. 10 is a sectional side view showing a conventional vacuumprocessing system. In FIG. 10, process chambers 2 and load-lock chambers3 are connected to a transfer chamber 1. A gate valve 5 is disposedbetween the transfer chamber 1 and each of the process chambers 2 andload-lock chambers 3. The transfer chamber 1 is provided with a transferrobot 6 disposed therein to transfer a target substrate between aload-lock chamber 3 and a process chamber 2, or between two processchambers 2. In general, a gate valve 5 used in this field has a valveplate for opening/closing a target substrate transfer passage, whereinthe valve plate is arranged to slide in a direction perpendicular to adirection in which the passage penetrates (for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln.KOKAI Publication No. 2-113178).

In the conventional vacuum processing system shown in FIG. 10, vacuumchambers, such as the process chambers 2 and load-lock chambers 3, arestacked one on the other, so that the number of process chambers 2 andload-lock chamber 3 can be increased without increase in theinstallation area. However, where vacuum chambers are stacked, the gatevalves 5 are inevitably arrayed in the same vertical direction. As aconsequence, a problem arises such that a sufficient configuration spacecannot be ensured for the drive system of the gate valves 5, and thusthe number of vacuum chambers to be stacked and the intervalstherebetween are limited.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a gate valve and vacuumcontainer for a semiconductor processing system, which have a pluralityof stacked passages and are compact.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provideda gate valve for a semiconductor processing system, comprising:

a housing forming a plurality of passages arrayed in a first direction,the passages respectively having ports facing a first predetermined sidein a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;

valve seats respectively disposed at the ports, the valve seats beingrespectively disposed at gradually set back positions in the seconddirection, as being closer to a second predetermined side in the firstdirection;

valve plates configured to selectively engage with the valve seats bysliding in the first direction to respectively open/close the ports, thevalve plate being arrayed in the second direction correspondingly topositions of the valve seats in the second direction; and

an actuating mechanism configured to slide the valve plates between afirst position to close the ports and a second position to open theports.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provideda vacuum container for a semiconductor processing system, comprising:

a container body forming a plurality of vacuum chambers arrayed in afirst direction; and

a first gate valve disposed at a first end of the container body andconfigured to open/close the vacuum chambers,

where the first gate valve comprises

a housing forming a plurality of passages arrayed in the first directionand respectively communicating with the vacuum chambers, the passagesrespectively having ports facing a first predetermined side in a seconddirection perpendicular to the first direction,

valve seats respectively disposed at the ports, the valve seats beingrespectively disposed at gradually set back positions in the seconddirection, as being closer to a second predetermined side in the firstdirection,

valve plates configured to selectively engage with the valve seats bysliding in the first direction to respectively open/close the ports, thevalve plate being arrayed in the second direction correspondingly topositions of the valve seats in the second direction, and

an actuating mechanism configured to slide the valve plates between afirst position to close the ports and a second position to open theports.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provideda gate valve housing unit for a semiconductor processing system,comprising:

a housing forming a plurality of passages arrayed in a first direction,the passages respectively having ports facing a first predetermined sidein a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and

valve seats respectively disposed at the ports, the valve seats beingrespectively disposed at gradually set back positions in the seconddirection, as being closer to a second predetermined side in the firstdirection.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provideda gate valve operation unit for a semiconductor processing system, thegate valve comprising ports respectively provided with valve seats,which are arrayed in a first direction and are respectively disposed atgradually set back positions in a second direction perpendicular to thefirst direction, the operation unit comprising:

valve plates configured to selectively engage with the valve seats bysliding in the first direction to respectively open/close the ports, thevalve plate being arrayed in the second direction correspondingly topositions of the valve seats in the second direction; and

an actuating mechanism configured to slide the valve plates between afirst position to close the ports and a second position to open theports.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a front view and a sectional side view,respectively, showing a gate valve according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2A is a sectional side view showing a state of the gate valve wherethe first and third level passages from the top are opened, and FIG. 2Bis a sectional side view showing a state of the gate valve where thesecond and fourth level passages from the top are opened;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state of the gate valve, fromdiagonally ahead and above on the right side, where the first and thirdlevel passages from the top are opened;

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view showing a load-lock apparatus formed ofa container body and two gate valves the same as that described aboveand integratedly combined therewith;

FIG. 5 is a sectional plan view showing the load-lock apparatus;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional side view showing the relationshipbetween the valve plates and valve seats of the gate valve;

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a vacuum processing system, which employsseveral gate valves the same as that described above;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a vacuum container according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a vacuum container according tostill another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional side view showing a conventional vacuumprocessing system.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description,the constituent elements having substantially the same function andarrangement are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a repetitivedescription will be made only when necessary.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are a front view and a sectional side view,respectively, showing a gate valve according to an embodiment of thepresent invention. This gate valve 20 defines one unit in which aplurality of valve functions are stacked to form a multi-layerstructure. The gate valve 20 is integrated with a container body, asdescribed later, to form a vacuum container of a multi-layer type thatdefines, e.g., process chambers or load-lock chambers.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the gate valve 20 includes a housing 21,which forms a plurality of passages 22A to 22D arrayed in a verticalZ-direction (a first direction). The passages respectively havefront-end ports 23A to 23D facing a front-end face 21 a in a horizontalX-direction (i.e., a second direction perpendicular to the firstdirection). Valve seats (seats of valve portions) 25A to 25D arerespectively formed around the ports 23A to 23D. The valve seats 25A to25D are respectively disposed at gradually set back positions in theX-direction, as their positions are closer to the lower side.

A plurality of valve plates (discs of valve portions) 24A to 24D areused for opening/closing the ports 23A to 23D. The valve plates 24A to24D are arranged to slide in the Z-direction, so as to selectivelyengage with the valve seats 25A to 25D. The valve plates 24A to 24D arearrayed in the X-direction, correspondingly to the positions of thevalve seats 25A to 25D in the X-direction. The valve plates 24A to 24Dare driven by actuating mechanisms 30A to 30D. The actuating mechanisms30A to 30D slide the valve plates 24A to 24D between first positions toclose the ports 23A to 23D and second positions to open the ports 23A to23D, respectively.

More specifically, the plurality of (four in this example) passages 22Ato 22D penetrate the housing 21 in the X-direction and are stacked inthe Z-direction to be parallel with each other. The front-end face 21 aof the housing 21 has steps corresponding to the passages 22A to 22D.The front-end ports 23A to 23D of the passages 22A to 22D, and the valveseats 25A to 25D respectively surrounding the ports 23A to 23D areformed in the vertical faces of the steps. The valve seats 25A to 25Dare respectively provided with seal members or the like (not shown) forensuring sealing properties. The rear-end face 21 b of the housing 21 issimply flat.

The valve plates 24A to 24D are disposed at the front-end face 21 a ofthe housing 21 to independently open/close the ports 23A to 23D of thepassages 22A to 22D. Accordingly, the number of valve plates 24A to 24Dis the same as the number of passages 22A to 22D. The valve plates 24Ato 24D slide in the Z-direction to respectively open/close the passages22A to 22D. When the valve plates 24A to 24D slide to closing positions,they come into close contact with the valve seats 25A to 25D, therebyclosing the passages 22A to 22D.

In this embodiment, all the passages 22A to 22D are closed by upstrokeslide of the valve plates 24A to 24D. The valve seats 25A to 25D arerespectively disposed at gradually set back positions from the front endtoward the rear end, e.g., at regular intervals in the X-direction, astheir positions are shifted from the uppermost position to the lowermostposition. The valve plates 24A to 24D are also disposed at regularintervals in the X-direction, correspondingly to the regular intervalsof the valve seats 25A to 25D in the X-direction. The actuatingmechanisms 30A to 30D are formed of air cylinders or the like, whichslide the valve plates 24A to 24D independently of each other. Theactuating mechanisms 30A to 30D are disposed below the housing 21 in thesame order as the corresponding valve plates 24A to 24D.

Specifically, the valve seat 25A, valve plate 24A, and actuatingmechanism 30A for the uppermost passage 22A are disposed at the foremostposition in the X-direction. On the other hand, the valve seat 25D,valve plate 24D, and actuating mechanism 30D for the lowermost passage22D are disposed at the rearmost position in the X-direction. The valveseats 25B and 25C, valve plates 24B and 24C, and actuating mechanisms30B and 30C for the second and third level passages 22B and 22C from thetop are disposed in this order between the foremost and rearmostpositions in the X-direction.

The slide strokes (travelling distances) of the valve plates 24A to 24Dfor opening/closing the passages 22A to 22D are set to be the same.Thus, the actuating mechanisms 30A to 30D, which have the same strokeand the same specifications, are arrayed and fixed to the bottom frame29 of the housing 21.

In this embodiment, since the slide strokes of the valve plates 24A to24D are set as described above, two ports vertically adjacent to eachother cannot be opened at the same time. When the upper valve plate isopened, the valve plate is kept at the same height level as the lowervalve plate next thereto, and, i.e., it is not moved further to thelevel of the still lower port. However, ports at alternate height levelscan be opened at the same time by moving the corresponding valve plates,so that transfer objects (target substrates) can be respectivelytransferred into and from passages at alternate height levels.

FIG. 2A is a sectional side view showing a state of the gate valve 20where the first and third level passages from the top are opened. Asshown in FIG. 2A, the first and third level valve plates 24A and 24Chave been moved down to open positions. In this case, the first andthird level valve plates 24A and 24C are kept at the same height levelsas the second and fourth level valve plates 24B and 24D next thereto onthe lower side. Accordingly, the first and third level ports 23A and 23Ccan be opened at the same time, but they cannot be opened along with theports 23B and 23D at the same time.

FIG. 2B is a sectional side view showing a state of the gate valve 20where the second and fourth level passages from the top are opened. Asshown in FIG. 2B, the second and fourth level valve plates 24B and 24Dhave been moved down to open positions. In this case, the second levelvalve plate 24B is kept at the same height level as the third levelvalve plate 24C next thereto on the lower side. Accordingly, the secondand fourth level ports 23B and 23D can be opened at the same time, butthey cannot be opened along with the port 23C at the same time.

As described above, the slide strokes of the valve plates 24A to 24D areset to be essentially the same as the pitch of the ports 23A to 23D ofthe passages 22A to 22D in the Z-direction. With this arrangement, it ispossible to minimize the size of the actuating mechanisms 30A to 30D ofthe valve plates 24A to 24D, which contributes to making the entire gatevalve 20 more compact.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state of the gate valve 20, fromdiagonally ahead and above on the right side, where the first and thirdlevel passages from the top are opened. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 3, thevalve plates 24A to 24C of the first to third levels from the top areconnected to the distal ends of the reciprocation rods of the actuatingmechanisms 30A to 30C, through lifting frames 26A to 26C, respectively.The lifting frames 26A to 26C respectively include horizontal bars 27Ato 27C, which are respectively connected to the distal ends of thereciprocation rods of the actuating mechanisms 30A to 30C, and extend inthe width direction of the valve plates 24A to 24C (a Y-direction).Pairs of rods 28A to 28C are disposed upright at the opposite ends ofthe horizontal bars 27A to 27C, respectively, in the longitudinaldirection. The distance between the pair of rods 28A to 28C is set to belarger than the width of a transfer object passing through the ports 23Ato 23D.

With this arrangement, the lifting frames 26A to 26C (particularly therods 28A to 28C) for vertically moving the valve plates 24A to 24C donot interfere with a transfer object moved into and from the other ports23A to 23D. In other words, the spaces between the pairs of rods 28A to28C are utilized to move a transfer object into and from the lower ports23B to 23D. Furthermore, the pairs of rods 28A to 28C help the valveplates 24A to 24C slide in a stable state without inclination.

The gate valve 20 thus arranged can provide the following effects.

The valve plates 24A to 24D for opening/closing the passages 22A to 22Dare gradually shifted in the X-direction. Accordingly, the valve plates24A to 24D do not interfere with each other, and the drive systems ofthe valve plates 24A to 24D do not interfere with each other.Furthermore, the valve plates 24A to 24D are disposed at small intervalsin the Z-direction, and the vertical intervals of the passages 22A to22D are also set small correspondingly thereto. The actuating mechanisms30A to 30D of the valve plates 24A to 24D are arrayed in theX-direction, while being set at the same height. As a consequence, thegate valve 20 can define a compact unit in which a plurality of valvefunctions are stacked to form a multi-layer structure.

The movable portions of the valve plates 24A to 24D are all disposedbelow the ports 23A to 23D of the passages 22A to 22D. Accordingly,particles generated from the movable portions can be prevented fromreaching the moving area of transfer objects, as far as possible. Inaddition, the valve seats 25A to 25D of the respective levels aredisposed at gradually set back positions from the front end toward therear end, as their positions are shifted from the uppermost position tothe lowermost position. Accordingly, even if particles drop from nearthe upper level valve seats 25A to 25C, they are essentially not trappednear the lower level ports 23B to 23D, but only drop further as theyare. As a consequence, this structure is effective as a countermeasureagainst ill effects of particles.

In the embodiment described above, all the passages 22A to 22D areclosed by upstroke slide of the valve plates 24A to 24D. However, thestructure may be arranged such that all the passages 22A to 22D areclosed by downstroke slide of the valve plates 24A to 24D. Such a gatevalve can be structured by turning the gate valve 20 shown in FIGS. 1Aand 1B upside down.

Specifically, in this modification, all passages 22A to 22D are closedwhen valve plates 24A to 24D are slid down. Valve seats 25A to 25D aredisposed at gradually set back positions from the front end toward therear end, e.g., at regular intervals in the X-direction, as theirpositions are shifted from the lowermost position to the uppermostposition. The valve plates 24A to 24D are also disposed at regularintervals in the X-direction, correspondingly to the regular intervalsof the valve seats 25A to 25D in the X-direction. Actuators 30A to 30Dare disposed above a housing 21 in the same order as the correspondingvalve plates 24A to 24D.

For the gate valve with the actuating mechanisms 30A to 30D disposed onthe upper side, the space below the housing 21 can be effectivelyutilized. Accordingly, this brings about advantages, such as ease ofmaintenance.

Next, an explanation will be give of a vacuum container employing such agate valve 20. FIG. 4 is a sectional side view showing a load-lockapparatus 100 formed of a container body 50 and two gate valve 20 thesame as that described above and integratedly combined therewith. FIG. 5is a sectional plan view showing the load-lock apparatus 100. FIG. 3also shows the relationship between the gate valve 20 and container body50.

The load-lock apparatus (vacuum container) 100 includes a container body50, which forms a plurality of (four in this example) load-lock chambers(vacuum chambers) 52A to 52D not communicating with each other. The gatevalves 20 having a structure the same as that described above arerespectively disposed on the opposite ends of the container body 50 inthe X-direction. The load-lock chambers 52A to 52D horizontally extendin the X-direction and are stacked in the vertical direction (theZ-direction) to be parallel with each other. Each of the load-lockchambers 52A to 52D is connected to a supply section GS for supplying aninactive gas and an exhaust section ES for exhausting the gas, so thatthe inner pressure can be independently adjusted.

The container body 50 includes a box-like body casing 55, whose mainportions including the peripheral wall are integrally formed. Apartition wall 58 is integrally formed at the center of the body casing55 in the vertical direction. The body casing 55 is combined with twocover plates 56 and two partition plates 57, which are formed separatelyfrom the body casing 55. The cover plates 56 and partition plates 57 aredisposed symmetric with respect to the center of the partition wall 58in the vertical direction. With this arrangement, the load-lock chambers52A to 52D of the respective levels are formed between the partitionwall 58 and partition plates 57, and between the cover plates 56 andpartition plates 57.

The body casing 55 includes horizontal walls 55 a to 55 e formed atregular intervals in the vertical direction (Z-direction). Thehorizontal wall 55 c at the central level in the vertical direction isformed as the partition wall 58 described above. The other horizontalwalls 55 a, 55 b, 55 d, and 55 e are formed as walls having openings 55f and 55 g at the center. The horizontal walls 55 a, 55 b, 55 d, and 55e detachably support the cover plates 56 and partition plates 57described above. The top and bottom cover plates 56 respectivelyfunction as the upper lid and lower lid. The upper surfaces of thebottom cover plates 56, two partition plates 57, and partition wall 58are arranged as faces for mounting target substrates (such assemi-conductor wafers) thereon. For example, each of these faces isprovided with pins 59 projecting therefrom for supporting a targetsubstrate.

The gate valves 20 are detachably fixed to the end faces of thecontainer body 50 by screws 41 (see FIG. 3). A seal member (not shown)for ensuring a sealing property is disposed between the rear-end face 21b of the housing 21 of each gate valve 20 and the corresponding end faceof the container body 50. Where the gate valve 20 is connected to thecontainer body 50, the passages 22A to 22D of the gate valve 20communicate with the load-lock chambers 52A to 55D, respectively.Accordingly, it is possible to independently transfer target substratesinto and from the load-lock chambers 52A to 52D, while operating thevalve plates 24A to 24D of the gate valve 20 for opening/closing.

As described above, the container body 50, which has the load-lockchambers 52A to 52D stacked to form a multi-layer structure, isintegrated with the gate valves 20 forming a multi-layer structure witha compact vertical dimension. In this case, the vertical intervals ofthe load-lock chambers 52A to 52D can be set as small as possiblewithout reference to specific restrictions due to the dimensions of thegate valves 20. Accordingly, the number of stacked levels of theload-lock chambers 52A to 52D can be increased while reducing thevertical dimension. Furthermore, since the vertical dimension of theload-lock chambers is reduced, the time necessary for vacuum-exhaustingeach of them is shorter.

The load-lock apparatus shown in FIG. 4 has a structure in which a pairof gate valves are disposed on the opposite sides of a container body.Alternatively, there may be a vacuum process container arranged to haveonly one gate valve disposed on one side of a container body.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional side view showing the relationshipbetween the valve plates 24A to 24D and valve seats 25A to 25D of thegate valve 20. Each of the contacting faces between the valve seats 25Ato 25D and valve plates 24A to 24D is formed as a face inclined relativeto the sliding direction of the valve plates 24A to 24D (or verticaldirection=Z-direction). When the valve plates 24A to 24D are slid in thevertical direction and brought into contact with the valve seats 25A to25D, the inclined surfaces come into close contact with each other,thereby ensuring the airtightness in the closing state.

Instead, a valve plate such as that disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAIPublication No. 2-113178 may be employed. Alternatively, a valve platemay be arranged such that opening/closing a port is performed by acombination of vertical slide with horizontal movement.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a vacuum processing system, which employsseveral gate valves 20 the same as that described above. This vacuumprocessing system is of the cluster tool type (multi-chamber type). Thisvacuum processing system includes a central vacuum transfer chamber 101,a plurality of process chambers 120 disposed around it and connectedthereto, and load-lock apparatuses 100 structured as shown in FIG. 4.Each of the chambers 120 is provided with a gate valve 20 structured asdescribed above. The transfer chamber 101 is provided with a transferrobot 110 disposed therein to transfer a target substrate into and fromthe process chambers 120 and load-lock apparatuses 100. The gate valves20 disposed around the vacuum transfer chamber 101 have actuatingmechanisms 30A to 30D with drive rods respectively covered with bellows,so that the vacuum processing system is maintained airtight.

FIGS. 8 and 9 are perspective views showing part of vacuum containersaccording to other embodiments of the present invention. As describedabove, a vacuum container, such as a load-lock apparatus, is connectedto a gas supply section and an exhaust section, so that the innerpressure can be adjusted (see GS and ES in FIG. 4). For conventionalvacuum processing systems, load-lock chambers, for example, are disposedat positions separate from each other, and thus the supply and exhaustpassages for them are formed of independently disposed pipes. In thisrespect, the load-lock apparatus 100 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 includesload-lock chambers (vacuum chambers) at a plurality of levels within onecontainer body. If pipes are respective connected to the vacuumchambers, the number of piping parts increases, resulting in an increasein cost and difficulty in piping layout.

According to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, supply and exhaustpassages are built as inner passages in the wall of a container body, soas to exclude outer pipes around the vacuum container. The embodimentshown in FIG. 8 has inner passages formed by a perforation process. Theembodiment shown in FIG. 9 has inner passages integrally formed bycasting.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the body casing 221 of the containerbody has load-lock chambers (vacuum chambers) 52A to 52D stacked to forma multi-layer structure. At least the peripheral wall portion of thebody casing 221 is structured as one integrated wall unit. The wall unitincludes inner passages 231A to 231D vertically formed therein, whichare used as exhaust passages communicating with the load-lock chambers(vacuum chambers) 52A to 52D at the respective levels. Each of the innerpassages 231A to 231D is formed of a vertical hole 232 and a horizontalhole 233 communicating with each other.

The vertical hole 232 is formed from the bottom of the body casing 221to a position intersecting with the horizontal hole 233. The horizontalhole 233 is formed from the outer surface of the body casing 221 toextend to each of the load-lock chambers 52A to 52D. The opening of thehorizontal hole 233 is closed with a plug 234. The bottom port of thevertical hole 232 is connected to an outer vacuum exhaust sectionthrough a manifold 235. Supply passages (not shown) are also formed inthe same manner as the exhaust passages.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the body casing 321 of the containerbody is formed as one unit integrally formed by casting. The body casing321 has load-lock chambers (vacuum chambers) 52A to 52D stacked to forma multi-layer structure. The upper surfaces of shelf plates 325 each formounting a target substrate thereon, the attachment faces 330 of flanges328 each for connecting a gate valve, and the upper surface of a topplate 327 having a fitting opening 326 for a lid board (not shown) arefinished by polishing. The other surfaces that require no polishing areleft as casting surfaces 360.

The peripheral wall portion of the body casing 321 includes exhaust (orsupply) passages communicating with the load-lock chambers (vacuumchambers) 52A to 52D at the respective levels. These passages are formedas inner passages 331A to 331D vertically extending within wall portionsprojecting outward. The bottom port of each of the inner passages 331Ato 331D is connected to an outer vacuum exhaust section (or a gas supplysection) through a manifold 350.

As described above, according to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 and 9,supply and exhaust passages communicating with the respective load-lockchambers (vacuum chambers) 52A to 52D are formed as inner passages 231Ato 231D or 331A to 331D built in a peripheral wall integrated with acontainer body (the body casing 221 or 321). With this arrangement,supply and exhaust lines can be assembled by connecting pipes fromsupply and exhaust sections to the ports of the inner passages togetherat the same time. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the necessity fordisposing outer pipes. It is also possible to reduce the piping partcost, simplify the piping layout, and reduce leakage probability for asmaller number of sealing portions.

Embodiments of the present invention have been described with referenceto the accompanying drawings, though the present invention is notlimited to these embodiments. Various modifications and changes withinthe spirit of the present invention may be anticipated. For example, inthe embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the housing 21 of the gatevalve 20 is integratedly formed. However, the housing may be formed of acombination of several small housings, such that the small housings,each of which has at least one passage, are stacked and connected.

The gate valve 20 may be assembled on site, employing a housing unit andan operation unit separately manufactured. In this modification, thehousing unit includes the housing 21 that forms the passages 22A to 22Dand valve seats 25A to 25D. On the other hand, the operation unitincludes the valve plates 24A to 24D and actuating mechanisms 30A to30D.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the housing 21 of the gate valve 20and the body casing 55 of the container body 50 are prepared as separatebodies. However, they may be manufactured as one integrally formed body.The number of stacked passages 22A to 22D may be any number, as long asit is two or more. Where a vacuum container, which is formed of acontainer body and one or two gate valves, is provided with a heatingdevice or cooling device disposed therein, the vacuum container can beused as a heating chamber or cooling chamber. A transfer object (targetsubstrate) may be an LCD substrate other than a semiconductor wafer.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the present invention, there is provided a gate valve andvacuum container for a semiconductor processing system, which have aplurality of stacked passages and are compact.

1. A gate valve for a semiconductor processing system, comprising: ahousing forming a plurality of passages arrayed in a first direction,the passages respectively having ports facing a first predetermined sidein a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; valve seatsrespectively disposed at the ports, the valve seats being respectivelydisposed at gradually set back positions in the second direction, asbeing closer to a second predetermined side in the first direction;valve plates configured to selectively engage with the valve seats bysliding in the first direction to respectively open/close the ports, thevalve plate being arrayed in the second direction correspondingly topositions of the valve seats in the second direction; and an actuatingmechanism configured to slide the valve plates between a first positionto close the ports and a second position to open the ports.
 2. The gatevalve according to claim 1, wherein the second position is closer to thesecond predetermined side than the first position is.
 3. The gate valveaccording to claim 2, wherein the valve plates are set to have the samestroke between the first and second positions.
 4. The gate valveaccording to claim 3, wherein the stroke is set to be substantially thesame as a distance between centers of the ports in the first direction.5. The gate valve according to claim 2, wherein the actuating mechanismis configured to cause two valve plates of the valve plates adjacent toeach other to slide independently of each other.
 6. The gate valveaccording to claim 1, wherein the valve plates comprise a valve plateconnected to the actuating mechanism through a pair of rods disposedwith a gap therebetween in a third direction perpendicular to the firstand second directions, and the gap between the rods is set to be largerthan a width of a transfer object transferred through the ports.
 7. Avacuum container for a semiconductor processing system, comprising: acontainer body forming a plurality of vacuum chambers arrayed in a firstdirection; and a first gate valve disposed at a first end of thecontainer body and configured to open/close the vacuum chambers, wherethe first gate valve comprises a housing forming a plurality of passagesarrayed in the first direction and respectively communicating with thevacuum chambers, the passages respectively having ports facing a firstpredetermined side in a second direction perpendicular to the firstdirection, valve seats respectively disposed at the ports, the valveseats being respectively disposed at gradually set back positions in thesecond direction, as being closer to a second predetermined side in thefirst direction, valve plates configured to selectively engage with thevalve seats by sliding in the first direction to respectively open/closethe ports, the valve plate being arrayed in the second directioncorrespondingly to positions of the valve seats in the second direction,and an actuating mechanism configured to slide the valve plates betweena first position to close the ports and a second position to open theports.
 8. The vacuum container according to claim 7, further comprisinga supply section for supplying an inactive gas and an exhaust sectionfor exhausting the gas, which are connected to the vacuum chambers,wherein the vacuum chambers function as load-lock chambers for adjustingpressure.
 9. The vacuum container according to claim 8, furthercomprising a second gate valve disposed at a second end of the containerbody opposite to the first end and configured to open/close the vacuumchambers and have substantially the same function as the first gatevalve, wherein the first and second gate valves have structuressubstantially symmetric with respect to a center of the container body.10. The vacuum container according to claim 8, wherein the containerbody comprises a peripheral wall portion, which is an integrally formedwall unit with passages built therein for the supply section and theexhaust section.
 11. A gate valve housing unit for a semiconductorprocessing system, comprising: a housing forming a plurality of passagesarrayed in a first direction, the passages respectively having portsfacing a first predetermined side in a second direction perpendicular tothe first direction; and valve seats respectively disposed at the ports,the valve seats being respectively disposed at gradually set backpositions in the second direction, as being closer to a secondpredetermined side in the first direction.
 12. A gate valve operationunit for a semiconductor processing system, the gate valve comprisingports respectively provided with valve seats, which are arrayed in afirst direction and are respectively disposed at gradually set backpositions in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,the operation unit comprising: valve plates configured to selectivelyengage with the valve seats by sliding in the first direction torespectively open/close the ports, the valve plate being arrayed in thesecond direction correspondingly to positions of the valve seats in thesecond direction; and an actuating mechanism configured to slide thevalve plates between a first position to close the ports and a secondposition to open the ports.
 13. The operation unit according to claim12, wherein the valve plates comprise a valve plate connected to theactuating mechanism through a pair of rods disposed with a gaptherebetween in a third direction perpendicular to the first and seconddirections, and the gap between the rods is set to be larger than awidth of a transfer object transferred through the ports.